I start this lesson with a discussion. I ask students to turn to their elbow partner and discuss what they know about poetry. I give them a little bit and then ask them to share with all of us what they know about poetry. I write this on the board similar to a KWL chart. I do not confirm or correct I just write what I hear.

I then ask them to turn to their elbow partner and discuss whether or not they like it. They also have to give their reasons why. I do not ask them to share with the class because I do not want their opinion to influence those who have not made an opinion or those that follow others to easily.

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To help them learn the vocabulary we are going to use, I handout a worksheet they can either write int he boxes or cut apart and place into a writing journal. I explain to the class that they will use the cards to write examples and notes so that they understand what each word means.

I start by asking the class if they recognize or know what any of these words mean. Some students tell me that they have seen a couple of the words before. The ones that think they have seen or heard of are simile and metaphor. The others they are not sure of.

Resources

For them to create an understanding, I want to go through each word with them. I want them to understand the meanings, but feel that the best way for them to learn them is to create an example of each one.

I use the following paper to help me remember and to help model each term. I go over each term. I a start by explaining what the word means and why they use it in poetry. I then model an example. I ask the students to then help me create an example to call our own.

Big Idea:
From observing a cat to touching and describing mysterious things in brown paper bags, students learn to understand that specialized senses and precise words go hand in hand in developing good inquiry skills.